Orange Roughy – New Zealand

Orange Roughy are a long-lived, late maturing species with a relatively low fecundity (fertility). They can live to be more than 100 years old and don’t mature until they’re in their late 20’s. Most Orange Roughy in the U.S. market comes from New Zealand.

Years of heavy pressure on Orange Roughy caused significant declines in their abundance. In recent years, there has been some improvement in the management of the Orange Roughy fisheries and some populations are rebuilding; however, other remain depleted.

Orange Roughy are caught with bottom trawls, which cause severe damage to the sensitive deep-sea habitats where Orange Roughy live. As well, bycatch in this fishery may include fragile coral species.